Additional Services

eMediaLINK: FAQs

Q. What is eMediaLINK?
In short, eMediaLINK is all about making it quick and easy for you to offer audio and/or video for your ministry on-line. You will find it easy to get set up and add new audio or video media to any Web site, maintain and manage a library of media files, and add media to any Web page on a regular basis. eMediaLINK makes managing streaming audio and video on-line one of the easiest things you do to provide a current and relevant on-line destination for your ministry.

Q. What is streaming media?
Streaming media is video or audio that plays over the Internet without a file being downloaded to the end user's computer. Streaming is different from downloading in that playback starts almost immediately with just the click of a mouse button for the viewer, and in that a large file is not saved to the viewer's computer. This provides a higher level of security for original content.

Q. Do users have the option to download any files instead of streaming them?
eMediaLINK now offers media storage and delivery MP3 files. So your listeners may download files to their computers to enjoy over and over again. To save an MP3 file, users simply have to right-click on the MP3 icon and choose "Save Target As."

Q. We offer audio/video now by just uploading the file to our Web server and linking to it on our Web site. Why would we want to pay for eMediaLINK?
Plainly, eMediaLINK will not meet the audio/video needs of every ministry. However, there are some distinctive advantages to using eMediaLINK as your steaming media provider. Here’s a quick list:

1. It’s simple: no HTML knowledge required for adding new media to your current Web site.
2. Simplicity and ease of use encourages you to keep media up to date.
3. Saves you time which can be redirected into ministry.
4. Unlike progressive download (see next FAQ), site visitors see/hear the media almost immediately after selecting a media link. Typically, progressive download delivery requires users to sit through a significant delay as he or she waits for the downloaded content to get far enough ahead to begin playing while it continues to download.
5. Streamed media doesn’t require users to have available storage space for files to be temporarily downloaded to his or her computer.

Q. What's the difference between streaming and progressive download?
Progressive media files are downloaded to the end user's computer. The file may start playing after a certain amount has downloaded. Streaming media files allow the end user to play the file much sooner and there are no files stored on the user’s computer.

Q. How do I add my content to eMediaLINK?
Once your account has been set up, you can add content by typing information about your new media file into the Add Media wizard, then locate your digitized and encoded audio or video file on your computer, and press the submit button to upload the file to your eMediaLINK account.

That’s it! When the file is finished uploading, the next person who sees the on-line media page on your Web site can see and select your new media file. This compressed media is in a format that is ready for streaming from the media server.

Q. How do I add a media page to my Web site?
eMediaLINK can be used with any Web site, the steps are essentially the same for any Web site. While in your eMediaLINK Control Panel window, select the Set Site Preferences tab and then click on the Integration Instructions link. On this page, you will find some text that you simply need to copy and paste as is into the code view (LifeWayLINK sites) or anywhere between the <body> code here </body> tags on any HTML page.

Q. What media file formats can I offer viewers/listeners with eMediaLINK?
eMediaLINK offers media storage and delivery of Windows Media Player, Real Player, Quicktime Media Player, or MP3 formats

Q. I have audio & video. Now what?
Each audio and/or video file must be converted to a digital file (digitization).
This digital information is converted to a format designed for streaming - a process called encoding. Files that begin as digital videos, for example, can easily be downloaded to your computer and encoded by you. Other data (such as non-digital video and audio tapes) might require additional equipment for digitization.

Q. What is the cost for eMediaLINK?
The monthly subscription fee depends on the package you select. The monthly fees, which include storage and streaming costs, are as follows:

	Package		Monthly Fee

	Discovery		$9.95 ($4.95 for first 3 months)
	Plus		$24.95
	Deluxe		$34.95
	Pro		$89.95

Q. Does eMediaLINK charge a set-up fee?
There is a one-time setup fee for each customer depending on the package selected. The setup fees are as follows:

	Package		Setup Fee

	Discovery		$25
	Plus		$30
	Deluxe		$40
	Pro		$50

Q. What’s included when I subscribe to eMediaLINK?
All subscribers receive:
• 24/7 access to the eMediaLINK Control Panel which can be used to easily add, delete, and manage media files and the information displayed about the files on your existing Web site;
• Incredibly simple, 3-step integration of your eMediaLINK media library into your existing Web site (Step 1: Copy; Step 2: Paste; Step 3: Save or upload as you normally would for any page on your site.)
• Storage and streaming according the subscription package of your choice;

Q. Does eMediaLINK require long-term contracts?
Standard subscriptions are month-to-month and can be canceled with a 30-day written notice. However, there is a 10% savings for one-year subscriptions.

Q. From what payment methods can I choose?
There are two payment options. You may use your LifeWay account or a credit card. The method of payment that you select at signup will be used during each payment cycle until your preference is changed. To set up a new LifeWay account, call customer service at 1-800-458-2772. We will be happy to help you between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.

Q. What are my subscription options?
Users have two subscription options. If you subscribe for a year or longer, you will receive a 10% (ten percent) discount. With a yearly subscription, you will be billed the full amount of the subscription on the 1st day of the following month. That yearly rate will be due upon receipt of the invoice. If you choose to pay monthly, your organization will be billed on the 1st day of the following month. Subsequent payments will be billed on the 1st day of every month and will be due upon receipt of invoice.

Q. What if I don't have a Web site?
LifeWay offers LifeWayLINK, a service that allows churches or ministries to easily create and manage their own professional Web sites. More information can be found at www.lifewaylink.com.

Q. Do viewers/listeners need to buy software to take advantage of our streaming media?
No. Although users will have to use Windows Media Player, Real Player, Quicktime Media Player, or MP3 Media Player, all are free and are designed to play media on any computer. The free players can be downloaded from the Web sites for each company. For the convenience of your site visitors, links to download the free players are automatically provided on your eMediaLINK media page.

Q. Which encoding software should I use?
Microsoft's Windows Media Player and Real Networks' RealPlayer offer downloadable versions of their encoding software to help you convert your media to a streaming format. Additional audio and editing software can be used to encode your Windows Media and Real media files.

Q. What happens if I go over my data streaming transfer limit?
With any package, eMediaLINK offers the option to pay for a block of additional minutes for the month that limit has been exceeded, or bump up to the next package size. The costs for adding additional minutes per month are listed below. Customers can login to their eMediaLINK account to view their current file space and data transfer usage. If no additional minutes are purchased, the streaming will be deactivated until the next month begins.

	Package		Add’l 1K Min.

	Discovery		$10.00
	Plus		$8.50
	Deluxe		$7.00
	Pro		$6.50

Q. How do you calculate minutes for dial up vs. broadband users?
This is a major breakthrough in streaming technology pioneered by eMediaLINK in cooperation with our streaming partner Nine Systems Corporation. Until now, streaming traffic was all about bandwidth times file length calculations. Now it’s just as simple as your cell phone plan. LifeWay Christian Resources has worked with Nine Systems to establish a streaming solution that doesn’t put your budget at risk every month. Now, you can rest easier each month because our simple and familiar terminology allows you to offer streaming to your site visitors based on language you can understand without asking you to hand over a blank check to your users and streaming/hosting provider at the beginning of each month. So, an approximate twenty minute message from your church’s pastor will eat up approximately twenty of your allotment of steaming minutes whether the viewer/listener is connected at 16k, 300k, or higher.

Q. What happens when my minutes are used up for the month? Do I get automatically charged?
No. eMediaLINK will not automatically charge you more. Your viewing/listening minutes can never exceed your available viewing/listening minutes. Media administrators will receive an e-mail in their designated email account inbox alerting them that their total minutes for the month are nearly expended. The e-mail will provide the administrator with instructions on how to purchase additional minutes for the month. This e-mail will also remind the administrator that, if minutes are expended and no additional minutes for the month are purchased, users attempting to access the media will not see their media listing but a short message instead. The message will explain that the media files are currently unavailable and encourage them to return next month.

Q. Can I roll-over unused minutes to the next month?
Because of our commitment to make eMediaLINK affordable to any ministry, the incredible pricing structure prohibits us from allowing accounts to roll unused minutes over to the next month.

Q. What if I upgrade my package in the middle of a billing cycle?
If you change packages during the billing cycle, you will be charged the amount of the new package beginning the following billing cycle.

Q. Can I use eMediaLINK with my Macintosh or Linux based computer?
Yes, eMediaLINK is compatible with PCs, Macintosh or Linux operating systems.

Q. Will I need to send different media types to different servers?
No. All media files are placed in your directory on our system and are available to you 24/7 to manage.

Q. What kind of technical support does eMediaLINK offer?
On-line help is available by submitting a request to netministry@lifeway.com.

Q. Who is LifeWay Christian Resources?
LifeWay Christian Resources is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. LifeWay is a religious not for profit 501(c)3 organization that receives no funding from the denomination and reinvests income above operating expenses into LifeWay and SBC ministries worldwide. LifeWay Christian Resources is housed in a facility that encompasses more than one million square feet of office space in downtown Nashville, TN. Along with the home office, LifeWay also operates two LifeWay Conference Centers - one in Glorieta, NM, another in Ridgecrest, NC, and 119 LifeWay Christian Stores nationwide.

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